


But why?

by SarcasticMonte



Category: Captain America (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Kid Fic, Kid Peter Parker, Kid Phases, Poor Daddy Steve, Super Dads, Superfamily, Superfamily (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 23:34:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5845246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticMonte/pseuds/SarcasticMonte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kids do a lot of crazy stuff. Today, Peter picked up a new habit that Steve has to survive through. Don't worry Poppa Steve, parents everywhere feel your pain on this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But why?

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon at avenger’s tower, and Steve was making lunch for Peter while Tony was off on a business trip for the weekend. It had been a great day so far. The two had pancakes for breakfast. Then they had gone to the park where Peter played for nearly three hours. He played hard enough to take a nap during the car ride home. Now they’re home, and Steve is making a jelly sandwich for Peter and a turkey and cheese sandwich for himself. He then went to put some juice in a sippy cup before taking their lunch over to the kitchen table.

Peter pushed away his playdough, so he had more room to eat his sandwich. He grabbed his sandwich from off his plate and hummed as the taste of cherry jelly filled his taste buds. His sandwich tasted good, but it’d taste even better with peanut butter, but his daddies told him that he couldn’t have peanut butter, because it would make his tummy hurt. _‘But why?’_ Peter thought to himself.

“Why does peanut butter hurt my tummy?” Peter asked his Pops.

Steve finished chewing a bite of his sandwich before replying, “You’re allergic to it, Pete.”

“But why?” Peter asked before taking a sip from his cup.

“Some people are just allergic to certain things,” Steve explained to his son who just looked even more confused.

“But why?” Peter asked again.

“That’s just the way it is,” Steve concluded.

Steve started to clean up from their lunch as he pondered his son's sudden curiosity. Steve didn’t want to make a big deal about Peter's allergies, so then maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal for Peter.

“But why?” Peter asked once again.

Steve stopped his clean up and looked back at the kid. He was trying to figure out if Peter was just playing around now, but the kid looked genuinely confused. What was he supposed to tell him? There wasn’t more to it, but Peter insists there must be a better answer. Steve didn’t understand it.

The rest of the afternoon was filled with the exact same question. But why? Everything Steve did Peter would ask his Pops, “But why?” He was doing some push ups. But why? Then Steve was caught picking his nose. But why? Next Steve was looking up cat videos on his phone. But why?

By the hundredth time Steve had heard the question he suddenly wondered, _'Is this what four year olds do when they’re bored?'_ It’s was time to test this theory out.

“Hey Pete, would you like to play with your playdough or watch some cartoons?” Steve asked the boy who was sitting next to him on the couch. Peter was about to ask his new favorite question again before Steve stepped in with his tempting suggestion.

Peter hopped off the couch as he declared, “I’m gonna play with playdough, Popa. Bye.”

Steve watched as the four year old left the room without a second thought. _‘It couldn’t have been that easy. He has been asking that question non-stop today simply because he was bored?’_ Steve wondered to himself. Then he shrugged it off. He knew he wasn’t a genius when it came to kids and parenting. Allot of people aren’t, so Steve doesn’t freak out when he learns new things about it. He reminded himself that not knowing was a part of the adventure when it came to being a dad. Well, he certainly knew now what to do about it for next time.

Ten minutes later, Steve peaked into the kitchen to check on Peter. The boy was flattening the dough and pressing cookie cutters onto it. Steve decided he was playing good, so he went back into the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled his sketch pad from off of the coffee table. Then he began to draw a picture of Peter at the park from today.

An hour had passed, and Peter went back into the living room to get his Pop’s attention. “Poppa, I’m hungry,” Peter told his Pops.

Steve checked the time on his phone and noticed it was already 6 o’clock. “No wonder Pete, it is dinner time. Would you like some Macaroni and cheese with hot dog?” Steve suggested to the boy.

Peter seemed to like the suggestion “Cheese noodles!” the kid cheered happily as he bounced around his Pops who was walking to the kitchen to start dinner.

The super dad started to make the Mac n’ Cheese. He opened the macaroni box and put some water on the stove to boil. Then he looked over to Peter who had gone back to playing with his playdough. The kid seemed to have made many different colored people from the cookie cutter. Steve then started to cut up a hot dog into little bits when he saw something moving on the other side of his peripheral vision. He looked over to see Peter was crunching on an uncooked macaroni noodle. The boy made a wide grin trying to act cute, because he knew it drove his Pops crazy when he and Daddy ate uncooked noodles. Peter then grabbed a few more noodles out of the box before going back to the table.

“You’re lucky you’re so darn cute. You know that?” Steve asked. He got a giggle as a response from the boy.

Soon enough their dinner was ready and the two were eating the Mac n’ Cheese with hot dog. Well, peter didn’t add the hot dog to his noodles because mixed foods are gross. Suddenly Peter wondered why people do it in the first place.

“How’s it because people put hot dog in their cheese noodles?” Peter asks his Pops.

“I put hot dog in my noodles because I thing it tastes good. Some people think it tastes good,” Steve explained to the four year old.

“But why?” Peter asked. Steve almost face palmed, but contained himself. _‘Please, Lord, not this again.’_ Steve begged internally.

“I don’t know, buddy,” Steve concluded. He wondered if Peter would be stumped by the fact that Steve simply didn't know.

“But why?” Peter asked again. Well, Steve would dream can’t he?

Suddenly the super dad got a brilliant idea, “Why don’t you ask JARVIS? I bet he knows why.”

Peter took another bite of his noodles as he contemplated the idea. “But why?” He asked his Pops again. Why should he ask JARVIS when he likes playing this fun new game with his Pops so much more?

Alright, the kid is clearly just messing with his Pops now, as Steve decided to try just ignoring the question altogether. Surprisingly, it actually worked. Peter finished up his supper without another peep. Steve picked up their bowls and began washing the dishes. Then he told Peter to clean up his playdough, and that he would get a desert if he was good and cleaned up.

Soon Steve put the last of the cleaned dishes away and found that Peter was already done cleaning up his toys. Then he went over to one of the cabinets to retrieve a vanilla pop tart. Some would argue that a pop tart is a breakfast food and not a desert. In Steve’s opinion, people who say that clearly can’t read food labels. Anything packed with sugar is a desert, and Steve won’t have his son thinking that sugar bombs are a breakfast. Thank you very much.

******************

The two found themselves in the living room for the remainder of the evening. Peter was munching down on his pop tart while Steve looked for a movie to watch on the TV. He saw a title that he remembered his husband wanted to show Peter and decided on that.

“Come sit with me Peter and watch the movie,” Steve told the boy who decided to climb onto Steve’s lap. Steve loved evening time with Peter. It’s the only time of day when the boy is in the mood to cuddle. Steve loved it because he knew Peter wouldn’t stay small forever and their cuddling movie times will eventually end.

The movie was interesting to say the least. A girl had wished away her baby brother to a goblin city by mistake and had to go get him back. Steve decided that he liked the movie. He was fixing to ask Peter what he thought, but when he looked down, the kid was asleep in his arms.

Steve carried Peter back to his room where he tucked him in and gave him a goodnight kiss on the head. Then Steve went back to his own room to go to bed.

*************************

The sun washed over the room as Steve stretched to awaken better. He looked around at the room and wondered what time it was when JARVIS suddenly announced the time and whether. Steve cursed under his breath. 10 o’clock .He had slept in. Poor Peter has probably been up for hours alone. He felt guilty as he started searching the rooms for his son. Steve hoped he might still be asleep but knew Peter usually woke up at 7.

He got to the living room when he asked, “JARVIS where’s Peter?”

 **“Our young Peter is in the kitchen with Mr. Barnes,”** JARVIS informed the man.

Steve face palmed. He completely forgot that the three of them had planned to go out today. He headed towards the kitchen and started to hear the two talking.

 *********************

When Bucky had arrived at Avenger’s tower around 9 o’clock, he was a bit surprised to walk into the living room to find Peter was alone watching SpongeBob and doing cartwheels. Then the boy came up to him and said he was hungry. Then he demanded his uncle Bucky to make breakfast, so Bucky took the kid into the kitchen and sat Peter onto the counter.

“So Peter, Where’s your Pops? Still asleep?” Bucky asked Peter who just nodded his head in confirmation.

“Why didn’t you wake him up so he could’ve made you breakfast?” He asked Peter.

Peter grinned and told him, “When I wake up early and Pops and Daddy are still asleep, I can get the step stool and get into my vanilla tarts. But today the step stool is up high in the closet and I can’t get it.”

Bucky laughed at the kid’s explanation before suggesting, “You’re a smart kid. Well instead of pop tarts, how about I make us some eggs and bacon?”

“Ooo. Bacon,” Peter said with wide eyes.

Bucky laughed once again and went to search for what he needed to make their breakfast. Sure enough there was plenty of bacon and eggs in the fridge and so Bucky got to work. He took the food over to one of the counters where Peter was kicking his feet off the edge.

Peter was about to grab a piece of raw bacon, but Bucky shooed his little hand away just in time. “Hey kid, you can’t eat raw meat, yeah know,” Bucky told the kid who was pouting.

“But why?” Peter asked.

“It’ll make you sick, so tuff. Quit pouting,” Bucky concluded as he popped open some eggs and put them in a bowl.

“But why?” Peter asked again as he gave his uncle a confused look.

Bucky huffed and replied, “Raw meat has germs on it, and germs make you sick. End of story. No more questions or I’ll have to take away your counter sitting privileges.”

Peter then stopped asking questions and watched as his uncle greased up a pan and made the bacon first. The strips of meat hit the hot oil and Peter decided the smell made his nose very happy. When Bucky took the bacon off the pan, Peter noticed how some strips were darker than others. Yea, the darker strips were for grown-ups, Peter decided.

Peter wrinkled his nose and asked, “Why do some bacons gotta come out burnt?”

Bucky faked a pained sigh. “I do not burn my food. You’re just a little kid. What would you know? I’ll have you know the darker strips taste better,” he told Peter who just started grinning.

“But why?” Peter asked.

“Cause crunchy strips taste better,” Bucky clarified.

“But why?” Peter asked again as he started to wonder how long he could continue to ask the same question.

“Because it’s delicious,” Bucky countered before once again being asked, “But why?”

The man let out an irritated sigh and walked up to Peter. The kid was going to get it now. Bucky snatched Peter off the counter and hung him upside down, as he started to tickle the kid’s ribs. “Sense when do you ask so many questions?” He asked Peter who was cackling from the onslaught of tickles.

Eventually Bucky let his nephew go free. Peter sat down on the floor as he tried to catch his breath from all the giggles and laughing. Bucky laughed at the mess of a kid before going back to finish making breakfast. Peter can’t bother him if he doesn’t have the energy to, Bucky victoriously reminded himself.

 “Do you remember where we’re going today?” Bucky asked as he put their breakfast on the table.

Peter sat down at the table and thought about this for a moment. Where were they supposed to go today? He couldn’t remember, so he just shook his head no.

“Your Pops and I are taking you to this trampoline park. It’s this huge building with trampolines on its floors and walls. You, sir, are going to sleep good tonight. Well I guess I will too if I’m to help keep up with you,” Bucky told the boy.

“Why is the trampolines on the walls? People can’t jump on walls,” Peter asked his uncle who just sounded crazy. Trampolines on walls. Who ever heard of such a thing?

“Hah, well, you got a point there. I bet I can jump higher than you,” Bucky teasingly whispered the last bit.

“But why?” Peter pouted.

“Oh no, not this again,” The man sighed.

Steve walked into the kitchen and heard their little exchange. _‘Well it looks like Peter didn’t forget about his favorite question overnight,’_ Steve concluded as he started made some coffee and sat down with the two.

“Steve, your kid is broken. He keeps asking the same question over again,” Bucky half-heartedly complained to his friend. Peter just stuck his tongue out at his uncle before continuing his breakfast.

“Nah uh. You’re broken cause you can’t no jump higher than me,” Peter fired back.

Steve shushed them, “You two, behave.”

Peter started to grin and Bucky knew exactly what the kid was fixing to do. He tried to copy Peter’s innocent puppy face as he turned to Steve and asked, “But why?” simultaneously with Peter.

Steve rolled his eyes and took another sip from his coffee. _‘This is going to be a very long weekend,’_ Steve inwardly thought.


End file.
